Steam appliances, such as steam mops, with or without vacuum, and handheld steamers are configured for cleaning a wide variety of common household surfaces such as bare flooring, including tile, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and linoleum, as well as countertops, stove tops and the like. Typically, steam mops comprise at least one liquid tank or reservoir for storing water or other treating liquid that is fluidly connected to a selectively engageable pump or valve. The outlet of the pump or valve is fluidly connected to a steam generator, which comprises a heating element for heating the liquid. The steam generator produces steam, which can be applied directly or indirectly to the surface to be cleaned. One common form of an indirect application of steam to the surface is to supply the steam through a distributor nozzle or a manifold located in a foot or cleaning head that engages the surface to be cleaned. Steam is typically applied to the backside of a cleaning pad that is attached to the cleaning head. The steam may pass through the pad to the surface. Alternatively, the steam may saturate the cleaning pad to form a heated, damp pad, which is wiped across the surface to be cleaned to remove dirt, dust, and debris present on the surface. The steam dispensed onto the cleaning surface can eventually condense into liquid on the cleaning surface. The cleaning pad is typically configured to at least partially absorb the liquid.
Additionally, auxiliary liquids such as fragrances, detergents or other additives can be supplied via the liquid tank for distribution through the surface cleaning apparatus to improve cleaning efficacy or to provide other sensory benefits. Alternatively, auxiliary liquids can be supplied from an auxiliary liquid supply tank that can be fluidly connected to the fluid delivery system, either upstream or downstream from the steam generator.
Some steam appliances locate a removable water supply tank and a steam generating device on an upright handle and deliver steam through a universal joint to a pivoting cleaning foot that is typically covered by a reusable cleaning pad. One example is the BISSELL Steam Mop™ Deluxe (Model 31N1). Details of a similar steam mop device are disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN2482956 to Wu, issued Mar. 27, 2002. In an alternate configuration, the steam generator can be located on the cleaning head as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,990 to Shaw, issued Jul. 1, 2003.
A cleaning pad may be used with the steam mop. Pre-moistened, impregnated cleaning pads and cleaning pads that can also reabsorb liquid from a surface to be cleaned are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,173 to Policicchio, issued Dec. 5, 2006. A cleaning pad for a steam mop with an encapsulated composition is disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/323,286, filed Dec. 12, 2011, published as US2011/0145191, titled “Cleaning Cloth with Encapsulated Formulation, Steam Mop and Method”, which is assigned to BISSELL Homecare, Inc. and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Cleaning pads for a steam mop can comprise a variety of materials, such as micro-fiber, terry cloth, non-woven fiber sheets and combinations thereof.